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Space photos of the day: Space Robots

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Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's robotic 'handyman,' is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 26 crew member aboard the International Space Station on Feb. 3. Dextre completed its first real job since the robot passed its final exam in December 2010, unpacking two critical pieces of equipment delivered by the unpiloted Japanese Kounotori2 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV2) spacecraft .NASA

Astronauts Carl J. Meade and Mark C. Lee test the new Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system some 130 nautical miles above Earth. The pair was actually performing an in-space rehearsal of a contingency rescue using never-before flown hardware. Meade, who here wears the small back-pack unit with its complementary chest-mounted control unit, and Lee anchored to the Space Shuttle Discovery's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robot arm, took turns using the SAFER hardware during their shared space walk. NASA

Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery inside the PMM to become a permanent resident of the station on Feb. 24. R2 is the next generation dexterous robot, developed through a Space Act Agreement by NASA and General Motors at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.ZUMA/Newscom

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander monitors the atmosphere overhead and reaches out to the soil below in this artist's depiction of the spacecraft fully deployed on the surface of Mars. The mission responds to evidence returned from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter in 2002 indicating that most high-latitude areas on Mars have frozen water mixed with soil within arm's reach of the surface.NASA/JPL/UA/Lockheed Martin/Rapport Press/Newscom

FIDO uses a robot arm to manipulate science instruments and it has a new mini-corer or drill to extract and cache rock samples. Several camera systems onboard allow the rover to collect science and navigation images by remote-control. The rover is about the size of a coffee table and weighs 150 pounds.NASA

NASA's T-1 Robot is seen in the 'sandbox' testing area at Ames Research Center.NASA

NASA's Centaur, the half-humanoid, half-vehicle robot pictured in the foreground, is ready for a day's work in the high desert of Arizona. Centaur participated in the NASA's testing of the next generation of space equipment during the Desert RATS field test.NASA

In a testing procedure, the X-37B robotic space plane taxis on the flightline March 30, 2010, at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. US Air Force/Sipa Press/Newscom

In this artist's concept, two extra-vehicular astronauts have prepared an autonomous robot to embark on its mission of collecting samples from the Martian surface. After verifying that all configurations are calibrated for their local environment, the two crewmembers will release the robot, allowing it to perform its tasks over the upcoming days. ZUMA Press/Newscom

The X-45 is an unmanned, autonomous combat air vehicle that flies high-risk operational missions and delivers precision weapons on target. Controlled via either line-of-sight or satellite communications, the X-45 is highly adaptable to changing battle conditions and can provide 24/7 electronic attack, reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering as well as engage in deep strikes to complement manned fighter and bomber forces.WENN/Newscom

It's just another day of work for NASA's Desert RATS, a group of more than 100 scientists and engineers participating in field tests in Arizona's high desert. Robots, rovers and space suited subjects test the latest interplanetary gear, trekking over some of the state's harshest topography. In this photo, Centaur (far l.) is joined by the K-10 robot with its 3-D vision and a futuristic lunar vehicle known as SCOUT. NASA

A new robotic device that safely strips paint from the hulls of ships without polluting the environment is shown in action at the National Robotics Engineering Consortium at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The device was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, the consortium, and UltraStrip Systems, Inc., Stuart, FL.NASA/JPL-Caltech

Robotics engineers Lyndon Bridgwater, Phil Strawser, Nic Radford, and Kris Verdeyen (from left) prepare Spidernaut, a robot prototype under development at NASA's Johnson Space Center, for a demonstration. A similar arachnid-robot may one day carry large payloads across lightweight trusses and solar arrays or deploy a 'web' of space tethers to cross structural spans of future space vehicles. NASA

The Space Shuttle Endeavour's robotic arm hovers over Earth's horizon, backdropped by a starburst from the Sun. This photo was taken during the STS-77 shuttle mission in 1996.NASA

NASA's Dr. Garnett Hornor holds a Robot Arm. 'The idea of the robot arm is to avoid using people to do hazardous waste cleanup, which would involve prolonged exposure to contamination,' said Dr. Horner, the researcher in charge of the project.NASA

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Cathy Hutchinson is one of two patients undergoing a trial of the BrainGate neural interface, a system designed to transmit paralyzed patients' thoughts into commands.

ByJulie Steenhuysen, ReutersMay 17, 2012

Nature Video/Screenshot

Using just her thoughts, a 58-year-old paralyzed woman instructed a robotic arm to grasp a cup of coffee and guide it to her mouth where she sipped from a straw, the first drink she has been able to serve herself in 15 years.